A Little Guidance
by Vera Rossi
Summary: AU. Despite the Oracle's confidence and faith in the new Guardians of the Veil, there are those, both in and out of Kandrakar, who do not share his optimism. Thus, an independent council of interdimensional leaders decides to send a team of the five most skilled and experienced youth to give the Guardians the guidance and training that they so desperately need.
1. I

Luba had doubts regarding the new Guardians of the Veil. They were simply too young and inexperienced to both adjust to their new powers _and_ deal with Meridian. Thus, she was glad to discover that she was not the only one to approach the Guardian situation with caution. There were others, including leaders of the worlds, who had expressed their concerns about the five Earth girls, who came from a world that lacked consistent exposure to magic and who had to battle preteen hormones as well as Phobos' evil.

The interdimensional leaders met in a purely secular council to discuss the matter. Luba decided that in order to push the issue along, she ought to make an appearance, expressing her utter respect for the Oracle's undying optimism, but also her legitimate concerns for the development of the Guardians and for the fate of the entire world of Meridian. And so it was decided that the Guardians should not have to face their new duties alone, without assistance or protection. The council decided to send a team of experienced young people who would still be able to relate to the struggling, barely-pubescent Guardians while at the same time be able to give them leadership and guidance. Luba approved wholeheartedly.

The council chose five of the biggest names in youth that currently existed. They were Andromeda Eyes-for-Stars of Salou, Gwynyvyr Arwyn of Sublan, He-Who-Fights-with-Fire of the Dai-Lon Plains, Ilenne Sky-Fire of Anlan, and Prince Michael Lashire of Maré V. The five were summoned for a briefing and an official job offer. Each was honored to accept.

Luba looked on, pleased. The five were well-disciplined young people who could serve the Guardians well. Naturally, she kept it clear in her mind to keep her thoughts and mouth shut when she returned to Kandrakar. The Oracle and the others would find out about the little independent venture in due time, on their own time. For the moment, what had needed to be done had been done.

 **~*\\_/*~**

 **So, I should really be working on my update-desiring** ** _Winx Club: The New Club_** **, but I've recently started rewatching and rereading the W.I.T.C.H series and am now inspired. For this story, I'm going to be working in the comic universe, even though this is posted in the cartoon section. I did that for publicity reasons – there are about seventy-five stories in the comic section, but over a thousand in the cartoon section, which tells me that more people look in the cartoon section than the comic section. Anyway, this an AU in which many people in the rest of the universe are concerned for the young Guardians as they face the daunting task of defending the Veil against Phobos, so they send a team to help them out. It begins between chapters 4 and 5, so Taranee has been successfully rescued from Meridian, but the Guardians haven't been trapped in the painting yet.**

 **I do not own W.I.T.C.H or its canon plot. I do own any intentional deviations from that canon plot that are found in this story, including original characters and alternate universe twists on canon plot.**

 **So, after that lengthy note, please enjoy this story!**


	2. II

Will Vandom was surprised to see two new students in her History class that Thursday morning. She was even more surprised when Mr. Collins greeted them familiarly, applauding the male for being one time 'for once.'

Cornelia leaned over to here. "Hey, you didn't hear any rumors about there being transfers, did you? Because I definitely didn't."

"Apparently neither did Mr. Collins," Will whispered back. "He just greeted those two like they're perfectly normal."

Both girls frowned, eyeing the duo as they took their seats at two desks which had been empty for the entire year. The girl wore an uninterested look as she pulled out her books. Her tan skin was illuminated in the morning sun as she squinted, pulling her shoulder-length dark brown hair into a ponytail before settling back into her chair as if she had done it every day since the beginning of the school year.

In contrast, the boy lounged in his chair, flirting with the girl across the aisle from him. His brown eyes glowed in the sun as the girl giggled at his sweet talk. She glanced at him, blushing, as she chattered excitedly to the girl next to her, as if such a thing were a regular (and apparently welcomed) occurrence.

When the bell rang, Cornelia and Will rushed to Irma's locker, their central meeting place between periods. "Guys, guys, this is an emergency!" Hay Lin exclaimed as she, Taranee, and Irma ran over. "Three new kids showed up and everyone thought it was normal!"

Will's eyes widened. "Cornelia and I have two new kids in our class too!"

"Oh no, what if we're being invaded?" Taranee asked.

"Well, it sounds like there _is_ one for each of us," Irma remarked.

Hay Lin gasped. "What if they're Phobos' minions out to pick us off one at a time!?"

"Do you think they'd do it in broad daylight in the middle of Sheffield Instituted?" Cornelia asked. "After all, it seems like they went through a lot of trouble to make sure they blend in."

"Well, they _are_ potentially evil creeps from Meridian," Irma said. "If I were evil, I'd definitely make the schools my target for demolition."

"For now, let's just keep an eye on them," Will decided. "We can meet after school to discuss them before we practice with our powers."

"And if they do anything suspicious?" Taranee asked.

"Take note of it, but don't do anything unless they're obviously playing with magic," Will said as they each went their separate ways.

It turned out that at least one of the two new students who had shown up first period in Will's History class was always in her class. Further observation led her to notice that it was always the boy who was in her class, while the girl would turn up whenever she and Cornelia shared a class. _It really is like they're watching us_ , she thought. If the boy _was_ watching her, though, he was doing an excellent job of hiding it. From what it looked like, his thing was flirting with girls and not taking class too seriously.

During Biology, the boy leaned back in his desk to look at Will upside down. His brown eyes twinkled merrily as he whispered, "Hey, pretty lady."

Will froze up. She had hoped that Cornelia would be in close proximity to her when she first interacted with either him or the girl. "Um, hi," she whispered back, glancing desperately at Cornelia, willing her to look up and see notice her situation.

"I haven't seen you around here long," he whispered to her. "I don't think I've ever had the chance to properly introduce myself. I'm Conrad Banner. It's nice to finally get the chance to speak with you, pretty lady."

Will noticed that the teacher had stopped talking, and that he and the entire class were looking both at her and this 'Conrad Banner.' Cornelia's eyes were wide as she finally noticed Will's predicament.

"If that would be all, Mr. Banner, I'm sure that Miss Vandom would like to return to her note-taking, rather than be distracted by your very obvious boredom," the teacher said stiffly.

"Sorry, sir; it won't happen again," Conrad said in a carefree tone that clearly said that it would happen again. The teacher frowned, but continued his lecture. Conrad did not talk to Will again. Instead, he threw well-aimed paper airplanes with scribbled notes on them to girls behind the teacher's back.

After school, the girls rushed to catch a break at Cornelia's apartment before heading out to practice with their powers. Soon they were sprawled out comfortably across her bedroom floor.

"So, did anything super suspicious happen after we met?" Will asked.

"Nope," Hay Lin answered. "For Meridian monsters, they sure know how to act normal. Like, they actually took notes in class and asked questions! The blond girl is super nice too. Her name is Andromeda Eistar, and she's blind in her left eye, which is why she keeps it covered with either her hair or some kind of scarf. Oh, and her clothes are so simple and pretty!"

"Yeah, Taranee and I tried to stop her," Irma said. "But then she went and chatted with the blonde girl all through our Literature period."

"They really do know how to act, though," Taranee agreed. "The boy in our class, Michael, approached me for help on a French worksheet. He was really easy to talk to, which worried me, because, of course, he could be trying to get information or something. But I couldn't find any way for him to be asking me questions with double meanings or sneaky answers or anything! It was like he was legitimately interested in learning the language."

"Well, the girl in my class wasn't sociable at all," Cornelia said. "I only figured out that her name is 'Miss Grey' because she was called on in Lit. It's a fitting last name, if you ask me."

"I've gotta say, though," Irma said, "the other girl who popped up in our class, Ilenne, has a weird sense of humor."

"Is it any funnier than yours?" asked Cornelia.

"Ha ha," Irma grumped. "Anyway, that Andromeda girl was looking sleepy in our History class, so she said to her, 'Come on, wake up! You know, there's nothing like a big burst of sunshine and a nice shower of arrows to get your adrenaline pumping!' I kid you not."

"That _is_ a little weird," Hay Lin agreed.

"Not to mention a little violent!" Taranee exclaimed.

"Well, the boy in my class acts like a total flirt," Will said. "I mean, he leaned back to introduce himself to me during Bio class. And what's weirder is that he _knew_ that I'm a new kid."

"So, do you think they're a threat?" Taranee asked.

"I don't know," answered Will. "Whoever they are, they're well-informed about our world and, probably, the Guardians of the Veil. We're going to want to avoid confrontation, but we're also not going to want to arouse their suspicion."

"So, act normal around them until they don't?" Irma asked.

"Yeah, basically," Will said with a nod. "Keep an eye out and learn as much as you can about their behavior."

"Sounds good," said Taranee.

"So, does that mean I can try to be friends with them?" Hay Lin asked.

"Just be really careful, okay?" Will cautioned.

"Okay!" Hay Lin chirped.

"So, who want to go out and practice?"

 **~*\\_/*~**

The five hired helpers made their way back to the cheap apartment building in which they each had a room. It was dusk, and they had spent their entire afternoon exploring Heatherfield before stopping to have dinner and heading home.

"I've gotta say, this was a pretty productive day," the newly-named 'Conrad' remarked. "We each met or observed one of the Guardians, we got a bit more acclimated to this place's culture, and we have a basic map of the town in our heads."

"Yeah, and our temperaments seem compatible," Ilenne noted. "We really could be a dream team!"

"I did find out the sources of those power surges," Andromeda said. "At one point this afternoon, the Guardians were practicing with their newfound abilities. Also, there are several portals to Meridian in this town. There was one in that old bookstore we passed downtown."

"That's all?" Gwen asked.

"Yes," said Andromeda.

"The Guardians' raw power is astounding," Michael commented. "Their auras are bold and their potential seems boundless."

"So, they're stronger than us?" Conrad asked curiously.

"When it comes to raw strength, for certain the Guardians are more powerful," Michael said with a nod. "With some guidance, they could grow to become a force to be reckoned with anywhere in the universe. However, for now, they lack experience."

"So, we could take them," Conrad summarized.

"If we played with our brains, yes," Michael said. "For now, they're a bunch of preteen girls who have had a load of responsibility dumped on them."

"Man, Kandrakar expects a lot of them, then," Ilenne said. "I can't imagine having to save a world while at the same time learning how to control my powers."

"That's why we were hired," Gwen said as they entered their apartment building.

The elevator dinged as it reached the ground floor. "We get to train the heroes of the universe!" Ilenne exclaimed as Gwen headed to her room on the ground floor while the others entered the elevator to go their separate ways for the night.

 **~*\\_/*~**

 **So, it might interest you to know that I decided to be an idiot and handwrite everything before I type it up. Yeah, I'm weird. Eventually I'll have my friend rothfyae give you some visuals for the five hired helpers. They will be found on her deviantart account (her username there is the same as it is here on fanfiction).**

 **Tell me if any canon character seems out of character! I'm going to be using the comics as a reference, but after rewatching the TV series, I've got a lot of those personalities stuck in my head now.**


	3. III

**Warning: brief derogatory reference to different sexualities**

In spite of the potential new threat, Irma slept heavily that night. Practice had worn her out, as had avoiding homework. The next day, she awoke feeling strangely but completely rejuvenated.

"Good morning, Irma," Will greeted her. "Aren't you looking chipper?"

"It's Friday!" Irma declared. "I feel great!"

"So, do you guys want to hang out at the mall after school?" Cornelia asked. "Maybe take a chance to wind down from the week and from all the craziness before we go back to worrying about Elyon and Meridian?"

"That actually doesn't sound like a bad idea," Will said. "I think that we all could use a little break."

"Ooh, are we just going window shopping, or can we get gelato from that really good shop, and then maybe try on some clothes?" Hay Lin asked.

"I don't know about you guys, but I saw that it's going to be really nice this afternoon," Taranee said. "Maybe we could walk around downtown or hang out in the park instead?"

"As long as there are sweets!" Hay Lin said with a grin.

"I'm feeling the outsy-doorsy vibes myself," Irma said.

"Okay, all in favor of hanging out outdoors?" Will asked. Even Cornelia, persuaded by the other girls, raised her hand. "Alright, then the mall can wait for a rainy day."

Of course, because they had made plans, school seemed to drag on and on. Irma was so bored and filled with pent up energy that even Martin seemed like a welcome distraction from the dull ticking of the clock. Thankfully, lunch granted a break from the slow trickle of time. Irma chatted happily with the other girls until she noticed Uriah and his gang skulking across the cafeteria. "What do you know?" she remarked. "The big lug isn't going to bother any of us."

"No, but he's going to bother _them_!" Hay Lin gasped, pointing to the table where the five new students sat, eating the boxed lunches that they had wisely brought from home instead of the nasty cafeteria food.

"Depending on how they react, we may for certain whether these guys are a threat or not," Taranee whispered.

Irma had to admit that throughout the entire morning, she had not really paid much attention to the newcomers. She had been too busy willing the clock to move a little faster. But now her attention was fixed on them. In fact, the impending confrontation could possibly be the most interesting thing that had happened all week, with the exception, maybe, of the appearance of the five strangers themselves.

"Hey, Lashire, whatcha got there?" Uriah demanded, looking over Michael's head of soft brown hair.

"Lunch," Michael answered wisely. "You might want to get you own – the period is nearly half-way over."

"All of the cafeteria food looks like sludge," Uriah said. "I think I'll have what you're having." And the bully moved to grab the smaller boy's food.

With an easy shift, Michael knocked Uriah's hand away. "No, thank you," he said serenely.

"Gimme!" Uriah growled. Kurt and Clubber moved forward while Nigel shifted uneasily.

Immediately, Conrad's and 'Miss Grey's' (her first name was still a mystery) postures changed completely. While they remained seated, lounging at the table, they were obviously on alert. When Uriah lunged at Michael, Conrad spun his seat around and swept his leg out. Uriah fell flat on his stomach. Kurt and Clubber rushed to help their leader, but 'Miss Grey' kicked Clubber's ankle while shoving Kurt away. Irma was surprised at how tall and intimidating the girl was, dressed all in black and wearing fingerless biking gloves.

"So, your boyfriend and butch friend have to come to your rescue, Lashire? Loser," Uriah sneered as he stood up. Irma's eyes widened. Uriah's insults weren't usually so scathing and out of line.

"Please," 'Miss Grey' said, "you wish I were a man in a woman's body. Maybe then you wouldn't feel so bad about your two flankers getting taken down by a girl."

"Nice one, Gwen!" Ilenne cheered. So that was 'Miss Grey's' real name.

"What, Uriah?" Conrad asked, responding to the 'boyfriend' comment by gesturing to himself. "You jealous that all this isn't yours?"

Uriah spat on the ground. "As if!" he snarled.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" some of the more stupid kids cheered.

"Did you see what they did?" Will asked. "They're definitely not normal!"

The cafeteria was getting riled up into a frenzy. "Someone should get a teacher's attention," Taranee said uneasily, looking around the room, where at least one responsible adult should have been responding. "Uriah's not usually this bad, is he?"

By now, the gang was throwing punches at Conrad, Michael, and the newly-named Gwen. Ilenne sat cheering her friends on, while Andromeda watched next to her, wearing a look that resembled concern. Irma watched, impressed, as Michael side-stepped Kurt's charge before letting himself get pushed back by Uriah's punch so that he was out of the way when Clubber stumbled back after Conrad had caught his punch and shoved him. Gwen stood solid in the midst of this, blocking hits.

"These guys could totally take down Uriah's gang!" Hay Lin realized.

"They're fighting like they've actually got experience," Cornelia said. "So why aren't they taking it to the next level?"

"I feel like Meridian goons would want to take a couple of creeps like Uriah and his guys down completely and without mercy," Taranee said.

"Unless they're reasonably intelligent, like that snake guy," Irma remarked.

"Thank you for that comforting thought," Will said.

"Hey! There's a teacher!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Finally," Taranee said with a sigh of relief.

"Break it up, break it up," the teacher said as he cleared the way for Principal Knickerbocker, lazily flapping his hand at the ring of students which had formed around the fight.

"What's going on in here?" the principal snapped as she stormed into the cafeteria.

"It's his fault," Ilenne said, pointing at Uriah. "He wanted Michael's lunch, and Michael suggested that he get his own."

"I second that," Andromeda said, nodding.

At the appearance of the adults, the fight had ceased. Michael stood near the table, guarding his food, while Conrad and Gwen stood still, but clearly not at ease. Uriah and his gang had backed off and regrouped.

"Whatever," Uriah spat. "This isn't over, Lashire, Banner, Grey!"

"It most certainly isn't," Principal Knickerbocker declared. "For you lot, it'll be over after a week of detentions! As for you three," she said, looking at Michael, Conrad, and Gwen, "you have a warning. You are to get an adult next time; you hear me?"

"We hear you, and we'll get a responsible adult the next time one is actually paying attention," Gwen said stiffly before sitting back at the table.

There was much scowling and many hard feelings, but the matter dropped. Uriah and his group cleared out to scarf down what they could in the remaining minutes of the lunch period, but as the leader himself was leaving, he bumped shoulders with Michael, whispering something. Michael just shrugged and whispered something back. When Uriah turned to go, Conrad caught him and muttered something to him with a wicked grin on his face before shoving him on his merry way.

"Whoa, did Uriah just threaten someone and then get threatened back?" asked Hay Lin.

"I don't know; I couldn't hear," Irma said. "But I think if that's the case, I'm more worried about Uriah's health than for the others!"

After the lunch bell rang, time seemed to slow down again. Hyped up from the exciting second half of lunch but unable to do anything, Irma fidgeted at her desk until the last bell rang. When freedom for the weekend finally came, the girls decided that ice cream ought to come before their walk around the town. Once they all had their sweet treats, they decided to take a quick trip through the park before browsing the quieter corner of downtown.

"I've got to say," Will said as they strolled along through the park, "I haven't been around here for long, but I get the feeling that today's showdown was reckless even for Uriah."

"It was," Cornelia said.

"Yeah," Irma agreed. "He usually does his best to be subtle – well, as subtle as goons can be."

"Hey!" Hay Lin pointed across the park. "Aren't those the new kids? Oh yeah, that's Andromeda! She was wearing that really cute dress today! Let's go say hi!"

"Are you crazy?" Will hissed. "What if they're dangerous? After all, we're not in school."

"We can go Guardian on their butts if they do anything," Hay Lin said.

"Well," Taranee said slowly, "they do say to know your enemy."

Will chewed her lip anxiously. "I don't know, guys. I'm getting weird vibes from them."

"Weird, but not evil?" Cornelia asked.

"Oh, hey, Andromeda sees us!" Hay Lin waved to her new friend, who was waving at her. "I'm going over."

"Hay Lin!" The other girls ran after her. Irma saw that the other five had stopped for them.

"Hey, Andromeda, where are you going?" Hay Lin asked as she licked her ice cream, which had started splattering when she ran.

"That Uriah guy challenged Michael," Conrad said.

"And you all are going to make sure that he's okay!" Hay Lin exclaimed.

"Not quite," said Conrad. "Michael challenged him back."

"What?!" Hay Lin gasped.

"He challenged me to a one-on-one, and I challenged him to a three-on-three," Michael explained.

"But you guys have five, and Uriah has four," Hay Lin said, confused.

"Andromeda doesn't count, and I'm going home," Ilenne said.

"Plus," Gwen said, "one of Uriah's guys isn't a fighter."

"Andromeda doesn't count as four?" Hay Lin asked.

"She's a delicate little flower," Ilenne said cheerily.

"I'm handicapped," Andromeda said with a smile and a tilt of her head, such that her hair shifted to reveal her covered left eye.

"Hey!" Will fell into step with Hay Lin. "I'm still kind of new here. I've seen you guys around, but I've only been introduced to Conrad."

The other girls caught up as well. Irma glanced at the other group as she walked behind Hay Lin. They looked so normal and dressed perfectly well. They talked and carried themselves like human beings. They fit in flawlessly, so flawlessly that Irma would never suspect a thing about them, had she not known that they had only appeared in Heatherfield the day before while claiming to have been there already.

 _Maybe I can see if my mind control trick works on them_ , she thought. _That might tell me if they've got magic powers or not_. She willed Michael to scratch the back of his neck. He did not. That concerned her. Usually she was spot on.

Irma stopped trying when Conrad and Ilenne's voices snapped here out of her focus. It seemed that the two of them were the chatterboxes of their group, and they had made it their business to introduce their group to Will and Taranee. "So," Conrad was saying, "as you may already know, I'm Conrad Banner. You could call me the mood-maker of my little group of friends.

"You could also call him 'the one who doesn't shut up'," Gwen commented.

"Ha ha," Conrad said flatly.

"I'm Ilenne Sparks!" Ilenne said. "I've been called the 4-D one of the group."

"4-D?" Taranee asked.

"It means something along the lines of having a strong and/or eccentric personality," Andromeda explained.

"It also means 'weird'," Gwen said.

"Continuing!" Conrad waved his hands at Gwen. "We have here the party pooper Gwen Grey. She's known for being good at strategy games like chess and for being a general mood-killer."

"She's also the one who keeps her focus and keeps us in line," Michael said helpfully.

"Drill sergeant!" Ilenne sang, pointing playfully.

"In your nightmares," Gwen said.

"Moving on, we have the lovely Andromeda Eistar," Conrad said, gesturing to the petite blonde. "She's the most book smart of us, beating even Michael."

"She's also the most artsy," Ilenne said. "But don't let her innocent princess demeanor fool you – she can be the most devious of us!"

"And finally, the reason why we're going to meet Uriah and his guys," Conrad said. "Michael Lashire."

"He's also pretty smart," Ilenne supplied. "He's an honorable gentleman with a silver tongue.

Irma and the other girls had missed the double challenge talk, so Irma asked, "If Michael's so smart, then why did agree to fight Uriah, who's at least a head taller than him?"

"He challenged me, and I accepted and reciprocated," Michael explained. "It's the proper thing to do."

"To me, that just sounds dumb," Irma said. "Stand him up or something."

"In his case, that's avoidance," Michael said.

"Oh, come on, nobody likes the big goon, but he's got muscle to back him up," Cornelia pointed out.

"But he's got limited brains," Conrad said. "A brush with him and his people is enough to show anyone that."

"Sure, Uriah himself is more cunning than his followers, but simple cunning can only take him so far," Michael said.

"A devious mind must be backed in a mind in the first place," Andromeda remarked sagely.

"So you're just going to fight him?" Will asked Michael.

"Yes," Michael said. "One-on-one first, and then three-on-three. Conrad picked the time and place, and so here we go."

"And here we are," Gwen said, glancing into a dim alley. "This is where only we three go on. Andromeda, I think you should make sure Ilenne doesn't get carried away."

"Alright," Andromeda said. "We'll wait for you outside, alright? Just don't do anything reckless, if you know what I mean."

"No worries," Michael assured her.

"Um, good luck, I guess," Hay Lin said with a wave, peering into the alley.

"Luck is overrated," Conrad said with confidence. And he, Gwen, and Michael walked away.

Irma and the girls decided to keep walking with Ilenne and Andromeda until they had to go their own separate ways. When the W.I.T.C.H girls were alone once again, they turned to each other.

"They seem weird, but not Meridian weird," Will said. "It's not like Mrs. Rudolph, where I felt woozy when I was around her."

"Agreed," said Taranee.

"So, what should we do about it? Nothing? Again? Just focus on Elyon and actual Meridian?" Cornelia asked.

"I guess, yeah," Will said.

"And if they turn out bad, we confront them," Irma guessed.

"Right," said Will. "So, let's call it a day."

 **~*\\_/*~**

Michael, Conrad, and Gwen walked out of the dim alley, looking a little disheveled, but none worse for the wear. "Man," Conrad said as he cracked his neck, "for all their talk, those guys sure went down fast and easy."

"What did you expected?" Michael asked. "We're in a civilian sector, and they were a bunch of hyped-up boys."

"Even when I was their age, I had more sense than that," Conrad said. "I listened to my teacher and burned my excess energy in the training area."

"You were brought up with discipline; they were not," Gwen said.

"Obviously," Conrad said with a snort.

Michael changed the subject. "What did you think of the Guardians of the Veil?"

"They're attempting to be discreetly suspicious of us," Gwen said. "I heard them whispering before they approached us."

"When should we tell them that we mean no harm?" Conrad asked. "You know, let them know that we're actually on their side and all?"

"Andromeda will tell us when the time is right," Michael said. "She's our seer, so we should probably rely on her signal."

Michael posed the question to Andromeda when they met up outside the apartment building. Andromeda closed her visible eye for a moment before saying, "We shall tell them sooner than they may like. It will be when imagined marks become an illusory reality." And with that confusing and contradictory statement, the team went their separate ways.

 **~*\\_/*~**

 **If you have anything you want to tell me, like grammar corrections, suggestions, thoughts on OCs, or general comments and opinions, please leave a review. Thank you for reading!**


	4. IV

**Warning: some blood**

Taranee shivered under the sheltered marbled hallway at Sheffield Institute. Rain poured down around them as Irma recounted the tale of her disastrous date with Martin. According to her, an inhabitant of Meridian had been climbing around the Heatherfield Museum, dropped down in front of her, sniffed her, and identified her as a Guardian before fleeing.

"But are you really sure?" Hay Lin asked when Irma had finished her story.

"Like I said, Hay Lin, if it wasn't one of the inhabitants of Meridian, it sure looked like one!" Irma said firmly.

"At least the TV stations and papers aren't talking about the incident too much," Taranee said, shifting her crossed arms for warmth. "They reported it as a kind of group hallucination."

Will looked thoughtful. "If the monster recognized you as a Guardian, then I have no doubt about it. What are you guys doing after classes?"

"Why?" asked Cornelia.

"This won't take too much time," Will said. "I just want to figure out why one of those creatures was at the museum."

"Here," said Hay Lin, taking out the map of portals. "I think I can give you there answer. Look!" She unrolled it and spread it out on the floor, and the five of them peered down at it.

"Here you go, Will," Cornelia said, pointing. "Another portal opened at the museum!"

"Could I take a look at what you find so interesting, young ladies?" Principal Knickerbocker asked, coming up behind them.

Taranee's eyes widened. The principal could not see the _paper_ map of portals that had a _flashing red mark_ on it! Irma spluttered for an answer, trying to give Hay Lin time to erase it. Taranee heard a small gasp of surprise from behind her while she tried to cover Irma's failed attempt at stalling. No one noticed a petite blonde quietly walk by them into the main school building.

"Um, it's a study guide!" Hay Lin said, thrusting out the paper in front of her. On it was no longer a magical map, but rather a timeline for the seventh grade history class. "See? Cornelia and Will were just helping us review since they had the class last year!"

"I see," said Principal Knickerbocker. "So nice and detailed. It's good to see that you two older girls are looking out for your younger friends. Just don't lose track of time and miss class, hm?" And she walked away.

"How did you do that?" Cornelia asked as soon as the principal was out of an earshot.

"I don't know," Hay Lin said. "I wished super hard for a nice drawing to appear, and I felt a little magic, but I got this instead!"

"How weird," Cornelia said, inspecting it in greater detail. "I thought we didn't get to that far until the end of the year."

Taranee leaned over. "You're right," she said with a gasp. "We haven't learned any of that yet!"

Hay Lin skimmed over the timeline. "How did I make something that I don't know appear?"

"I mean, there's this little thing called 'magic' that we've all been exposed to recently," Irma said casually.

"I don't know, but you've gotta be careful," said Will. "Remember, I just moved to Heatherfield, so I shouldn't know what you guys learned- hey, wait, it's disappearing!" The history timeline melted away, revealing an extremely realistic pencil portrait of Principal Knickerbocker.

"I didn't even try to change it this time, but that's more like what I was trying to change the map into," Hay Lin said, confused. "I don't get it."

"That's just weird," said Irma.

"We should probably check out the weirdness that was going on at the museum later," said Will. "It closes at six, and I have an appointment to keep."

They gathered behind the museum that evening and transformed. "How do we get in?" Taranee asked.

"We'll go through the windows in the back," said Will.

"And the alarms?" Cornelia asked.

"Well, if I can talk to household appliances, I should be able to chat with the alarms," Will said. "Hopefully, I'll be able to get in a good word for us."

The moment Will spoke to the alarm, Taranee and the other girls could understand it. It took only a little convincing for Will to get it to let them in. Opening the window, they climbed through, and Irma led them to the spot where she had seen the creature of Meridian. "Here!" she declared. "This is where it happened. Do you guys see or feel anything that I can't?"

"Not really," Will said, looking around warily.

"But it's got to be here somewhere," Hay Lin said as she looked up and down. "The map said so. Concentrate harder!"

Suddenly, Cornelia cried out. "What's wrong?" Taranee asked, rushing to her side. Cornelia stood staring at a large painting. Taranee glanced at the plaque beside it. " _The Never-Ending Spring_ , by Elias van Dahl," she read.

"Look in that crowd of people there, near that house," Cornelia said, pointing anxiously.

Taranee's eyes widened. "Wow, it's incredible!" Irma exclaimed, vocalizing her own thoughts. "If that isn't Elyon, it sure looks a lot like her!"

"Actually, I'm right behind you." Whipping around, Taranee and the other Guardians were faced with Elyon, dressed in foreign clothes. "We meet again, my friends," the missing girl said, raising her hands. "And this time, it will be to say goodbye!" A blast of magic had them trapped inside a magical bubble in an instant.

Slow clapping came from behind Elyon, and Cedric, the young man who worked at the bookshop downtown, stepped out from the shadows, dressed in the same type of foreign garb as well. He was accompanied by a hulking, blue creature of Meridian. "Excellent job, Elyon," he said.

"I'm getting better, aren't I?" Elyon asked, smirking. "As you see," she said, addressing them, "I have some powers of my own, and whether you like it or not, I'm stronger than all of you."

"But that's…" Irma began, confused, staring at Cedric.

"Oh, Cedric?" Elyon asked, smiling. "I know you've seen him before in the bookstore, but you've also seen him in a different light." In a crackle of green lightning, Cedric transformed into the massive snake-man that they had fought before. "Surprised?" Elyon asked, very obviously enjoying the looks on Taranee and the other Guardians' faces. "I was, too. But Cedric revealed to me many things, incredible secrets that I want to share with you."

Will leaned up against the barrier that trapped them. "What happened to you Elyon?" she asked. "I didn't know you for very long, but I can tell you aren't the same!"

Elyon laughed bitterly. "Ha! Look who's talking! If you haven't noticed, you've grown a pair of wings!"

"Listen to me, Elyon," Will pleaded, "Open your eyes! Forget these people! This world is your home!"

"You're wrong!" Elyon shouted. "I belong to Meridian!"

"And Meridian belongs to you, Princess," Cedric said in his serpentine voice. "To you and your brother, Phobos."

"Phobos?" asked Will.

And Elyon launched into her tale, telling them how she had been torn away from her true family after her parents, the king and queen of Meridian, had disappeared and her brother had taken the throne. "I lived knowing nothing but deception and lies!" Elyon cried. "I grew up _loving_ those who had betrayed my family's trust and stolen me away from my brother! Cedric found me and told me everything – who I am and who _you_ , the Guardians of the Veil, the enemies of Meridian are."

"What? The _enemies_?" Will exclaimed, slamming her hands against the barrier. "Elyon, I don't know what Cedric told you, but it's not the truth!"

"SHUT UP!" Elyon cried, pounding her fists against the barrier. "Because of the Veil you protect, the people of Meridian are forced to live on one side, with no way out. Because of the Veil you protect, my brother, my only living family, has been searching for me for years, without ever being able to reach me. Because of the Veil you protect, because of _you_ , Guardians, all of Meridian has been suffering while I've been stuck here, living a lie, unable to help; this is how you've made yourselves my sworn enemies!"

"But we're _not_ your enemies!" Irma cried. "We were _friends_ , Elyon!"

"That's right," Elyon said. "We were. But not anymore! Look at you. You're not the girl who used to call herself my friend. How do I know that your 'friendship' wasn't just a ploy to keep me ignorant, trapped in a world that's not my own?" She turned away. "After stopping the impostors who made me believe they were my parents, I found my true home on the other side of the Veil, in Meridian, and discovered my powers."

"'Hidden forces' would be the most accurate definition," Cedric hissed.

"Perhaps," Elyon said, her hands suddenly blazing with light. "However, I also like to call it…" She raised her hands in front of her. "ABSOLUTE POWER!"

Energy exploded from Elyon's hands, hitting the barrier and causing it to shake. "Wh- what's happening?!" Taranee cried, trying not to panic.

"Let's all try to hit together," Will shouted. "Come on!"

They tried, but in vain. "It's useless, girls!" Elyon screamed. "You've lost! Soon you'll understand the pain of Meridian! Soon you'll understand what living as a prisoner means – _forever_!" And Taranee could only watch as the blue-white light engulfed both the barrier bubble and them, and everything faded to white.

 **~*\\_/*~**

Andromeda froze, feeling an explosion of power. Ever since the previous day, she had been feeling pulses of energy coming from the center of town. Michael had investigated and told her that the local museum was the source, and that a strange creature, probably of Meridian, had been spotted. She had felt a surge from the area when the Guardians had transformed earlier that evening, most likely to carry out the investigation they had been discussing when their principal had taken them by surprise, but this… this was something different from even the powers of five untrained girls combined. This power held hatred, hurt, and betrayal, and it was amplified in a way she had never experienced before.

There was a rap on her bedroom door. "Hello? Andromeda? Should we check that out? I mean, I felt that, and I'm not even a sensor. I've got my armory ready!" Ilenne called.

Andromeda shook herself. Grabbing her bag, she opened the door. "Let's meet the others."

Ilenne bounced eagerly on the balls of her feet, her violet eyes sparkling with excitement. She was dressed in exercise clothes and carried the knapsack that Andromeda had enchanted for her. "What do you think it was?" she asked. "I mean, that was pretty strong, and I didn't think the Guardians were that skilled yet. Do you think they're in trouble?"

"I hope not," Andromeda said. "They're so young and inexperienced."

Ilenne nodded. "Let's go, let's go, let's go! I wanna beat up bad guys, and I have lots of energy since I haven't gotten to do anything fun here yet!"

A quick elevator ride down to the ground floor brought the two to Gwen and the boys, who stood waiting for them. "Good, let's go," Conrad said, looking a bit more serious than usual. "Anyone who can produce that kind of power has no control over their abilities and needs to be stopped."

"I'm fairly certain that it came from the museum," Michael said as they unlocked their bikes from the rack.

"Doesn't the museum close at six?" Gwen asked. "We'll have to teleport in."

"I can manage that," said Andromeda as they biked toward the center of town.

"If we could teleport, why are we biking?" asked Ilenne.

"Teleporting five over a sizeable distance takes more energy than I want to spend in case of a fight," Andromeda answered.

"Reasonable," Ilenne said.

When they reached the museum, Michael was quick to get a read on the situation. "The goons are in there, and they're not alone," he announced. "Three of Meridian, one is the source of the blast."

"We need cover and transport," said Gwen. "Andromeda, can you handle both?"

"Of course," said Andromeda. She raised her hands and said a spell in the language of Salou, her homeworld, and they disappeared from sight, though they could see each other.

"It didn't work," said Conrad, looking down at himself.

"I don't know about you, but I like seeing my allies," said Andromeda. "Outsiders can't see us, though. Now, lay your hands on me." As soon as each of her comrades was touching her, she said another spell and they were instantly relocated inside the museum. Feeling lightheaded, she stumbled, and Gwen righted her.

"You alright?" the taller girl asked quietly.

"Spells for five have a larger drain than anticipated," Andromeda said. "It's no problem, though. I'll just have to work on my stamina."

"If you say so," Gwen said. "Michael, can you trace the location of the large blast? That's probably where we'll have to do the most damage control."

Michael nodded. "I can feel a huge amount of trace energy," he said. "It's coming from...that direction." He pointed.

"Lead the way," said Conrad, pulling a sword from his enchanted backpack. "I've gotta say, 'Dromeda, these bags are really the best." Ilenne nodded in agreement, drawing a crossbow and quiver of arrows from her own bag.

"The goons and the Meridian are approaching each other," Michael said as he guided them. "We should probably intervene."

There was a loud clatter of metal. "I assume it's that way?" Gwen asked, cocking her head toward the noise. Michael nodded. As they walked, they heard a scream and quickened their pace.

"You know, for someone who's supposed to know what's going to happen, you're rather calm," Conrad said to Andromeda.

"Nothing bad will happen," Andromeda said with confidence. She felt no burning urge to rush to the defense of the goons, and her instincts were usually right.

"Then why are we wasting our time?" asked Ilenne.

"It may depend on us being there," Andromeda answered.

"They're- they're gone," Michael said suddenly.

"What?" asked Conrad.

"The three of Meridian. I can't feel their presence anymore," said Michael. "They must have teleported."

"And the idiots?" asked Gwen.

"The local law enforcement will handle them," said Andromeda.

"Alright, back on track, then," said Michael. "This way."

Andromeda and the others followed Michael through the museum halls. As they walked, the alarms went off. "The goons are taken care of," Andromeda said offhandedly.

They stopped in front of a large painting which practically burned with energy. "This," said Michael, pointing. "Trace energy is strongest here."

Andromeda stepped forward to examine it. Analyzing the magic surrounding the painting, she quickly discovered that a simple but powerful magic of desire had been thrown on top of a much older, subtler, and more complex spell. "Imagined marks have become an illusory reality," she said.

"Pardon?" asked Michael.

"I suppose the time for the Guardians to know us is now," Andromeda said. "My analysis tells me that a powerful but extremely simple spell threw the Guardians of the Veil into this already-enchanted painting."

"Can we go in after them?" asked Conrad.

"Yes," said Andromeda. "Hold onto me." They did, and Andromeda said the spell. When they reappeared in a sepia-toned world, she was again light-headed, but could feel something odd. "No magic in an illusion, I guess," she said, looking at Michael. No longer was he thirteen and only a few inches taller than her, but now he was sixteen and over the first puberty bump. She looked down at herself to see her proper, fifteen-year-old body rather than her thirteen-year-old disguise.

"That's no issue," said Conrad, cracking his knuckles. He was about a head taller and much more well-muscled in his typical, eighteen-year-old body.

"But the clothes are," said Gwen, now also around eighteen or nineteen, looking no taller than her fourteen-year-old self, but definitely more mature. She took in the medieval scenery and dragged them away. "To the shadows." When they were safely out of sight, she opened her own bag.

"What are you doing?" asked Ilenne, now a taller and less bony seventeen-year-old rather than a scrawny thirteen-year-old.

"Please tell me I'm not the only one who carries a spare pair of clothes from my homeworld or situations like these," said Gwen. "Do you at least have a cloak?"

Ilenne dug around in her bag. "Yep! And a pair of eye protectors for flying, too!"

"No magic, no flying," said Conrad. "No cloak for me, though. It's not part of the Dai-Lon Plains ensemble. But let's see… sword? Mace? Axe? Fists?"

"Crossbows are the best," said Ilenne as she loaded hers. "Though longbows aren't bad. Or darts. Darts are cool, too. And slingshots!"

"We need to conceal our faces," said Andromeda. "I'm getting a prickly feeling in the back of my head, and that usually means someone is watching."

Gwen looked at her sharply as she paused in exchanging her hoodie for a tunic from her homeworld. "Specifically us or this world in general?" she asked. "Physically or magically?"

"Without my sight, I can't tell, but I'm inclined to think magically," said Andromeda. "From outside the painting. I'm sure they're focusing on the Guardians, as we are unknown at the moment, but we do need to be careful."

Michael tossed Conrad a cape from his bag. "I know I'm less broad than you, but it should suffice."

"Thanks," Conrad said, clipping it around his shoulders.

Andromeda draped her travel shawl over her head and around her shoulders. "We should probably have eyes from above. Is anyone willing to travel on the roofs?"

Ilenne's hand shot up. "You don't even have to ask! I'll be discreet! Conrad, gimme a leg up."

"Conceal your weapons," Gwen ordered. "We'll have to follow her from the streets." From the rooftops, Ilenne waved to them, pointing toward a massive, ornate building not terribly far from where they were. "Alright, don't let her out of your sight."

 **~*\\_/*~**

Taranee gazed up in awe at the Cathedral of the Last Tear. As Will explained to Elias van Dahl her theory about making paints from the tear, she examined the door. "It's blocked," she announced. But that proved to be no issue, as Elias called some men from the street to help him break it open. Just as the artist picked up the vial that contained the tear, however, a Meridian soldier burst through a portal.

"It's Frost the Hunter!" Will cried. "This proves that I was right. Hurry, go!"

Frost's mount reared up intimidatingly, and Taranee shuddered, remembering when they had encountered him during their first trip to Meridian. "How do we beat him without our powers?!" Cornelia exclaimed as she scurried back.

"We- we- we run for the exit!" Will yelled.

"He's riding a rhino!" Cornelia yelled back as they ran. "He'll catch us in no time!"

"Maybe," said Will. "But look!" Taranee watched as Frost's mount ran into the open without him, for the hunter had been so intent on catching them that he had not paid attention to the height of the cathedral door. As the growling Meridian soldier recovered, Taranee thought harder and faster than she had in a long time, trying to think of a way to fight the monster without magic. And then a fruit hit Frost in the face.

"Irma!" she and the other Guardians exclaimed, turning to glare at the jokester.

"But it wasn't me!" Irma protested. Then there was a whizzing noise, and Frost screamed. An arrow stuck out of his eye. The large soldier fell back and did not move.

"Where did that come from?" Will asked, shocked.

"Up there!" Hay Lin pointed to the roof of a building, where a slender, hooded figure stood.

Two more figures, both cloaked and hooded, detached themselves from the crowd and approached the fallen Meridian. The shorter of the two, gripping a dagger, knelt down to feel the side of Frost's neck, while the taller held a large sword over his chest. "He's basically gone," the shorter said. "He's brain-dead for certain. His body will follow soon."

"I'm taking no chances," said the taller, his hood and cape looking a little too small for him. "Stand back if you don't want brains all over you." He then raised his voice. "If you're faint of heart or weak of stomach, avert your eyes." And he plunged his sword down into Frost's forehead, and then into his chest for good measure.

Taranee stared, shocked and horrified. Frost's blood pooled beneath his body. The taller figure calmly scraped his blade clean on the ground. "What a mess," the shorter figure muttered. "We need to get rid of the body. I wouldn't want to come across this soldier under necromancy."

"Anybody got fire?" shouted the taller figure. "A soldier has fallen, and he should be given a send-off, regardless of his affiliation."

"I- I can pitch in some wood to make a pyre," a man said.

A murmur of "Me too" rippled through the crowd.

"My oven is burning," said a woman as she left to collect a torch.

As the crowd dispersed, Elias came running. "It works! It works!" he cried. "I can paint again!"

"That means the spell is broken!" Will exclaimed. "Our powers are back."

"We're not being watched anymore," a said a female voice. "We can reveal our faces."

The figure who had killed Frost flipped back his hood, revealing Conrad. The shorter figure beside him was Gwen. Michael stood beside Andromeda, who had spoken, and the figure on the roof, Ilenne, bounded down, the wind whipping her hood back. She plucked the arrow from Frost's eye, scraped it clean on the ground, and put it in her bag, where it disappeared, despite being longer than the bag itself. Each of them looked older than they had in school, and Taranee's brow furrowed as she tried to think how that could be.

"What?!" Will exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"Yes, who are you?" asked Elias.

"Sir, they killed that monster!" someone from the crowd said.

Elias turned to them. "You have my gratitude," he said.

"Just doing our civic duty," said Conrad as he helped the men who came bearing wood for Frost's funeral pyre. "Alright, let's hoist his body up onto it." The woman returned with a burning torch, and the men parted to let her light it.

Michael brought his right hand to his chest in a strange salute. "Farewell, soldier," he said. "May you receive as much as you gave."

Conrad echoed him. "Farewell, soldier. May the gods judge you well."

Elias turned to the Will. "What are you going to do now?"

"We'll go back to our world," she answered. "We won't close the portal in this painting, though."

Elias looked confused. "Why not?" he asked. "Isn't that your mission?"

"Yes, but that portal is your only chance of going home," Will said.

Elias smiled sadly. "This is my home now," he said. "No one is waiting for me, not in Meridian or anywhere else."

"The spell is broken." Gwen stood by Conrad, Andromeda, Michael, and Ilenne. "When we leave, this place will become its own confined reality, created by the power of his mind, and accessible only to its creator. To him, it will become his world, while to us outsiders, it will be nothing more than an illusion on a two-dimensional surface."

"I'll be safe to live out my life," Elias said. "Do your duty as the Guardians of the Veil."

"B- but…" Cornelia said, unsure.

"Please, do it as a favor to me," the artist said, and Taranee could see the weariness in his eyes.

Will bowed her head. "Then so be it," she said. "Goodbye, Elias." They all hugged him, and then Will summoned the Heart. "Take us home," she said softly, and in a flash of pink light, the world faded.

They reappeared behind the museum as their normal selves, and they were not alone. The five new students, still aged and in their cloaks, stood with them. Taranee stood on guard, her hands in fists. "Alright," Will said to the five, the Heart flaring dangerously over her hand, "It's time we had a little talk."

 **~*\\_/*~**

 **So, I got to work today and whipped this out! Recognize anything? It was probably adapted from Issue 5: So Be It Forever, of which I own a copy, but not the rights. Did you spot canon divergences? (I hope you did) They belong to me.**

 **Anyway, if you have anything to tell me, leave me a review and I'll get back to you!**


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